


Fascination

by skysedge



Series: Downloading Desire... [3]
Category: SINoALICE (Video Game)
Genre: Denial, F/F, Set during the Festival of Deceit and Madness event, Unresolved Emotional Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-22
Updated: 2020-11-22
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:02:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 925
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27662417
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skysedge/pseuds/skysedge
Summary: Parrah and Noyah’s idea of Halloween festivities are about as fun as a fucking funeral.
Relationships: Cinderella/Little Mermaid (SINoAlice)
Series: Downloading Desire... [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2027903
Comments: 4
Kudos: 13
Collections: femslashficlets: tarot prompt challenge





	Fascination

Parrah and Noyah’s idea of Halloween festivities are about as fun as a fucking funeral. 

Cinderella had wanted costumes, tricks and laughter at the expense of other people. Instead, she’s shut up in some squalid peasant house night after night as the villagers outside accuse and attack one another over and over. They’re supposed to find out who the wolf is, or some shit, but she’s long since stopped caring. As far as she can tell these idiots are just waiting for an excuse to kill each other and good riddance to the whole miserable lot of them. 

How pointless. How stupid.

“How sad.”

And to make matters worse, she’s stuck here with the Little Mermaid. At first Cinderella had been hopeful, the misery-loving girl looked pretty cute in her hood and anything is better than being trapped here with a stick in the mud like Snow. But of course it was just another big disappointment, like everything in her sorry excuse for a life, and instead of bashing some heads in or playing tricks, Mermaid is doing, well, _nothing._

For the third night in a row she’s sat by the window, looking out at the chaos with those big blue eyes of hers all filled up with tears. It’s weird as hell because sometimes Cinderella would swear she’s smiling. Even now, as screams of fear and shouts of pain echo through the whole village, there’s a slight twitch at the corner of her pretty lips.

“How sad,” she says again, like a mantra, and Cinderella can’t take it anymore.

“Yeah,” she says, getting up from where she had been sprawled by the fire and dusting herself down. “It’s sad all right.”

Mermaid doesn’t so much as glance towards her. Instead she hums softly, her sweet voice melodic in misery, and keeps her eyes on the bonfire outside. Some poor bastard’s being dragged towards it. Mermaid’s pale skin looks soft in the glow from the raging flames, her dark pupils wide with almost childish wonder, teardrops like diamonds on her cheeks.

Cinderella stops beside her and snorts in derision.

“It’s not fair,” she says.

Finally, Mermaid seems to notice she’s there. She turns her head slowly, delicate brow furrowing in confusion.

“Huh?” she asks softly. “What are you talking about?”

Cinderella reaches out and wipes a tear from her cheek, wiping her finger on the front of her coat.

“It suits you,” she says with a lopsided grin. “I look like shit when I’m cryin'.”

She hadn’t been expecting much, another ‘how sad’ maybe, and so she’s blindsided as Mermaid’s eyes widen and she presses her hands to her chest as though she’s been struck in the heart.

“Oh no,” she says softly, eyes now boring into Cinderella. “No, no, _no_ , you’ve got it wrong.”

“Oh yeah?”

What a weirdo. She’s about to say as much when Mermaid reaches out to her, places her hands on Cinderella’s shoulders. It’s barely a touch at all, the girl must weigh nothing, and Cinderella entertains the idea of throwing her over her shoulder and tossing her out to the wolf until she speaks again.

“Sorrow is beautiful,” she says firmly. “So, everyone looks beautiful when they cry. I’m sure you’re the same too.”

Beautiful, huh? Ahh, not this shit again. Cinderella shrugs Mermaid’s hands off, forcing herself to grin and showing teeth.

“Heh. Don’t count on it.”

Mermaid can’t take a hint. Undeterred she reaches out again, rising from where she had been curled up on a chair to stand on her tiptoes. She raises her hands to Cinderella’s cheeks and holds her face gently and Cinderella is so surprised that she forgets to slap those tender hands away.

“You try to hide it but I can see it, you know,” Mermaid says, her voice as sweet as a lullaby. “All that heartache you pretend you don’t feel.”

“I...”

Years of abuse. The taste of ash. A bitter taste of happiness. A glass slipper she can’t throw away. She doesn’t want that heartache, doesn’t want any of it, doesn’t want to be thinking of it at all. Mermaid is watching her as if she’s doing something fascinating, leaning in slowly.

“It’s so beautiful,” she murmurs.

“Oi.”

“Show me more of it,” she says, voice dropping to a whisper as she leans in close enough for Cinderella to feel her breath on her lips. “Please. I want to see...”

Cinderella steps back and slaps her hands away with a growl. 

“That’s enough,” she snarls. “Don’t mess with me.”

It would be great if Mermaid would cry some more. It would feel good if she was upset. And so of course she isn’t, instead she sinks back into her chair with a wistful sigh, as graceful and beautiful as ever.

“You’ll show me,” she says, a faint smile on her lips. “When you’re ready.”

She’s looking at Cinderella as if she knows something, as if she  _ understands.  _ It’s disgusting. Cinderella turns her back on the window and heads back to the fire.

“Sure,” she mutters. “Keep tellin’ yourself that.”

As she sits back on the floor, back in the dust and dirt where she belongs, she can feel Mermaid’s eyes on her. Cinderella wishes she would look back out of the window. People are screaming and dying out there. That’s got to be sadder than her. She reaches for her violin and plucks discordantly at the strings, telling herself that she feels fine.

“I can’t wait,” Mermaid whispers into the silence. “To see how beautiful you are when you cry.” 

**Author's Note:**

> For the femslashficlets Tarot prompt table challenge, replacing the 'Justice' prompt with 'Eight of Cups', _Turning away in disgust from having discovered that what seemed so sweet had a bitter aftertaste._


End file.
